GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 027

Rascals the lot of 'em. 

L-17 is a spy from an extremely unspecified foreign power who vexes pilot Wings Bordon throughout his three appearances. He is remarkable both for his longevity - three whole appearances for a simple letters-and-numbers spy is astonishing - and for the fact that he managed to get a promotion between his first appearance and his last, from field agent reporting to a shadowy Chief to being the shadowy figure whom other report to. It's possible that someone just misremembered L-17's position, but that doesn't take away from the achievement. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940)

Sir Neville Towse, "England's most famous explorer" has been threatened with death by a mysterious character known only as the Avenger, and it's up to Inspector Blake of Scotland Yard to solve the mystery and prevent the murder from happening.

The Avenger turns out to be Sir Neville's butler Owens, who just wants to get ahold of the money left to him in the explorer's will without all that tedious waiting around first. He does employ a pretty sweet booby-trapped phone to do the deed, but that doesn't make up for the disappointingly callow motivation for the crime. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940) 

Clarence the Maniac Man is a circus sideshow wild man, one of a number of groups of people who are just a crime or two away from super-villainy (or a selfless act or two away from super-heroism, I suppose) on any given day. In Clarence's case, simple jealousy over the affection shown to Captain Marvel by Lovelia, the jerk Queen of the High Wire, drives him to release alien circus animals as revenge on society. That's toxic, Clarence. (Whiz Comics 006, 1940)

This gang boss, evocatively and simply named "Power" has taken a page out of Dr Sivana's book and is using a radio wave jamming setup to blackmail broadcasters in California. He didn't really think through the mechanics of concealing a huge compound full of guys and electrical equipment, even out in the desert, and is rounded up by private detective Dan Dare in short order.  (Whiz Comics 009, 1940)

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 414: THE POWER

(Amazing Man Comics 008, 1939)

The worst thing about Minimidget is obviously his name. The best thing about him and his partner Ritty is the fact that unlike your Doll Mans or Atoms or Ants Men they are a) permanently six inches tall and b) proportionally as strong as a six-inch human being - they're just lil' guys wearing jodhpurs. A lot of their adventures are not so much about going out and finding excitement as dealing with the problems of being real real small.

Such is the case when the two of them are spotted by agents of would-be world dictator the Power and spirited away to be part of his collection of oddities. It's a real pickle, as the Power is about as over the top villainous as you get: he has a harem; he has slaves; he has a torture chamber full of nude men. His outfit, while fun in an ostentatious way, is that of a man who has never been told that he has had a bad idea. You can tell he has long fingernails because he read that it was symbolic of how little actual labour you had to do. Just the worst.

Minimidget and Ritty eventually escape when one of the slave-scientists straps them to a bird. They make their way to the US and get word to the authorities and I guess that's another power a couple of six-inch people have: when you say "something wild is happening thataway" the fact that you are something wild adds a bit of oomph to your claims.

True to his jagoff nature, the Power attempts to flee in a plane as soon as the authorities start to close in. He is immediately shot down. Minimidget and Rittty are feted, technically, for stabbing a bird.